CHAPTER TEN
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-: fourth year :-

── IN WHICH THEY
RETURN TO THE TENT

. . .

"THAT'S ALEKSANDER KRUM!" Ron's eyes were wide as Evie managed to stray closer to the Weasley boy, careful not to trip on any roots as they continued to make their way towards the path to lead them back to the campsite. "As in, Viktor Krum's brother!"

"Oh I know." Evie nodded. "I can't quite believe it either but I've been with him for the past hour or so and you would hope I know his name by now." Her tone was dripping in sarcasm and Ron elbowed her. "Ron - I think I'm very much aware that it's Aleksander Krum." 

"I know - I know." Ron had a smile on his face.

"Stop looking like that!" Evie tried to hide the laughter in her voice. "I know he's the brother of Viktor Krum. He's also his own person.. and people tend to not like being known for your brother. I would know."

"Your brother is known because of you and vice versa." Ron raised his eyebrows. "And you're usually both together.. I don't see Krum around."

"Yeah, neither do I. Which is good because I think you would be having heart palpitations right now." Evie smiled up at him before shrugging and beginning to step back. "Just treat him like a normal person. Or don't even look at him at all."

"Got it." Ron looked nervous, so she pushed him gently towards Hermione, who was still absolutely raging about what had happened with poor Winky. Evie was the same - but she preferred to keep her calm in front of Aleksander... which was strange, considering she had already blown up in front of him and Barty Crouch Sr.

It was a strange night, her emotions were everywhere and quite frankly, she just wanted to feel normal. Like she hadn't shouted at Crouch and she hadn't been forced to attack two Death Eaters and there wasn't the mark of the person who had killed her parents and almost the twins as well. 

"I appreciate that." The Bulgarian accented voice broke through her thoughts and Evie jumped out of her skin. "What you said to Ron."

"Well I don't want to be treated like a spectacle, and if Ron doesn't treat me like that then he shouldn't with you. Even if it seems like he has a... minor crush on your brother." Evie glanced up at him before laughing and shaking her head. "Joking - sort of." 

Aleksander opened his mouth to reply, a knowing grin on his face as he fell into step beside her, but Hermione's voice rose above, and they looked towards her. "The way they were treating her!" The Granger girl said furiously. "Mr Diggory, calling her 'elf ' all the time... and Mr Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was - it was like she wasn't even human! Evie's right - even if they're treating her like she's a pet or an animal, you still show some compassion! Like her metaphor with the washing machine."

"Ah yes - I must ask what is that?" Mr Weasley interrupted, turning towards her. "It's obvious enough that it washes things.. but what exactly?"

"Clothes." Evie stepped forward. "If you want a more.. wizard-friendly analogy then um.. you always respect a Hippogriff or it will rear and scratch you.. like it did Malfoy." 

"Right.. I see." Mr Weasley looked more than interested now, whilst his son seemed to be trying to figure something out.

"She isn't human..." Ron frowned, and Hermione rolled her eyes. 

"Just listen will you! Just because she isn't human doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's disgusting how they treat her! No living creature should be treated in such a way and-"

"Hermione." Mr Weasley cut her off, holding a finger up. "I don't disagree with you, but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I wantto get back to the tent as fast as we can. What happened to theothers - did you see anyone else in the woods?"

"No, no one." Aleksander confirmed for the both of them. The others turned his way. "You're talking about the people you were in the box with, right?" Evie nodded. 

"We didn't see anyone either." Ron added, and there was still some awe in his eyes when he looked over at Aleksander. "We lost them all in the dark before we even got to the trees. Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?"

"I'll explain everything back at the tent." Mr Weasely said tensely. But as they stepped out of the edge of the forest and near to the path, it seemed it would take a while longer for them to reach it.

A crowd had gathered on the path between the forest and the campsite, and upon seeing Mr Weasley, they surged forward, all looking incredibly frightened.

"What's going on in there?" A man in a pair of silken blue pajamas asked first, looking impatient.

"Calm down Atticus. Who conjured it?" Another similarly dressed man asked, and Evie wondered whether it was just the light or if the two wizards were in matching pajamas in two different colours - it looked as if their initials were inscribed in gold thread over the chest pocket.

"Arthur - it's not - Him?" A witch pushed past the two men, her hair arranged in a multitude of bright purple hair rollers.

"Of course it's not Him." Mr Weasley shooked his head impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."

Mr Weasley turned and ushered the five teenagers past him, guiding them around the crowd and then taking the lead in bringing them back to assigned patch of land on which their - hopefully still standing - tents were.

All was quiet in the campsite now, and none of the group seemed to have any intention of changing that, walking past several severely singed tents that were still smoking. There was a feeling of great relief when they discovered that their own tents were not a part of the group of ruined ones, and as they approached, Charlie was poking his head out of the boys' tent.

"Dad, what's going on?" Charlie called through the dark. "Fred, George, and Ginny got back okay, but the others-"

"I've got them here." Mr Weasley said, gesturing to the group behind him, Charlie nodding and ducking back into the 

Bill was sitting at the small kitchen table, holding a bedsheet to his arm, which was bleeding profusely. Charlie had a large rip in his shirt, and Percy was sporting a bloody nose. Fred, George, and Ginny looked unhurt, though shaken. They looked to the group as they walked in, and all of a sudden Charlie's jaw was dropping. 

"Aleksander Krum." He composed himself quickly, reaching past Evie and shaking the Bulgarian's hand thoroughly. "I was in Bulgarian once - for a dragon - and saw one of your matches in Sofia. It was very well played."

"Oh." Aleksander stared for a moment before smiling and shaking his hand again. "Thank you.. Charlie."

"You remembered." The Weasley boy stepped back and lookes triumphant, before turning to the others. "Ron - come on, I'm going to fix your leg." 

Aleksander was still smiling as Charlie turned away and Bill began asking about whether or not Mr Weasley or any others in the Ministry had managed to capture who was responsible. "My parents didn't even come to that match." He muttered, Evie's head tilting to the side once hearing it.

 "No," Mr Weasley replied with a sigh. "We found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" Bill, Charlie, and Percy exclaimed together. 

"I still want to know about that." The Potter girl turned to her brother. "Did she steal it or something? Or picked it up off of the ground."

"That's what I'm assuming." Harry shrugged. "House-elves don't know how to use magic. The person who cast the spell dropped it and.. Winky picked it up."

Percy seemed to be more in shock about it being Mr Crouch's elf than anything else, but he listened closely as Mr Weasley explained everything that had happened in the woods, with some assitance from the four teens who had been witness to it all - and Aleksander helped as well. 

He didn't seem to know what to do. All the rest of them had beds for the night there, as well as people they knew. Aleksander did have his own tent - but as much as he would like to go back he wasn't exactly sure how to get through the maze of a campsite outside. Dobomir and Dragomir would find him. They always did.

When they had finished their story, Percy swelled indignantly."Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" He burst out. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to... embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry... how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control-" 

"She didn't do anything - she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked rather taken aback. Hermione had always got on fairly well with Percy -better than any of the others.

"Hermione, a wizard in Mr Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" Percy replied as pompously as ever, recovering quickly.

"She wasn't running amok." Evie frowned. "Elves don't know how to do magic - she must have just picked up the wand! Besides, the voice is completely different. Right, Aleksander?" She looked back at him, seeing the look on his face and turning around properly. "Are you okay?" 

He nodded, silently.

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" Ron interrupted impatiently. "It wasn't hurting anyone... Why's it such a big deal?"

"I told you, it's You-Know-Who's symbol, Ron," Hermione replied before anyone else could answer. "I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."

"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years," Mr Weasley added gravely. "Of course people panicked... it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again."

"I don't get it," said Ron, frowning. "I mean.... it's still only a shape in the sky..."

"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," Mr Weasley explained. "The terror it inspired.... you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside..." Mr Weasley winced at the utterly horrific though. "Everyone's worst fear... the very worst."

There was a stunned silence for a moment.

Then Bill, removing the sheet from his arm to check on his cut, said, "Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now."

Evie felt a tap on her shoulder. "I'm going to wait outside for my bodyguards. I'll let you know before I leave though." Aleksander muttered lowly in her ear.

"I'll come with." Evie swallowed - as much as she wanted to hear what Mr Weasley was saying, Harry could just tell her later, or Hermione if it came to it. "I've got to see you off right?" She said in reply to his expression. "It's the least I can do."

Because she might never see him again, and a friend for a few hours was better than no friend at all.

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